A man who says that Cyril Smith repeatedly raped him as a boy is set to become the first of the paedophile MP’s victims to sue the Liberal Democrat Party for compensation.

Legal papers setting out the details of his £250,000 claim are due to be submitted to the High Court in London in the coming week.

The claimant, now 47, claims he was about 13 when Smith raped him on three separate occasions in his constituency office in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Suicidal: The victim, pictured last week. He claimed he was 13 when Cyril Smith raped him three separate times. When he threatened to go to poice, the MP allegedly told him: ‘No one will listen to you – I’m too powerful’

At the time, Smith was paying the youngster £2 a day to distribute leaflets around the town. As such, says his lawyer, he was effectively an employee of the party and therefore subject to a higher duty of care.

Smith supplemented the teenager’s ‘income’ by giving him Yorkie and KitKat chocolate bars.

The alleged victim’s solicitor, Milton Firman, said last night: ‘This would appear to be the first case against the Liberal Democrat Party to actually come to court.

‘I firmly believe it will be followed by many more. I would urge any others come forward.’

Other victims have threatened to claim for damages against the Lib Dems, claiming party officials knew of Smith’s abuse but failed to try to stop him.

The claimant, a British-born Pakistani whose parents came to this country in 1957, alleges Smith raped him over his desk.

When the boy threatened to go to the police, the MP allegedly told him: ‘No one will listen to you – I’m too powerful.’

The claimant said he tried to pursue a criminal case against Smith but as he is dead his only recourse is to pursue a civil claim for damages. His proposed action is against both the Liberal Democrats and Rochdale Council.

The claimant recalls encountering Smith while he was looking for a job in the summer holidays, and called in to the Liberal party office in Rochdale, where he met Smith.

Employer: Cyril Smith. The claimant, a British-born Pakistani now aged 47, says the MP would give him £2 a day to distribute leaflets around Rochdale, and alleges he was raped by Smith over the politician’s desk

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‘He told me that I could leaflet the local area and that he would pay me £2 each day and he could also provide me with chocolates.

‘I was given the money by Cyril Smith and I distinctly remember him telling me that “this £2 shows you are working for the Liberal party”. I was also given a Liberal Party badge to wear.’

In a witness statement to the court, the man claims that in the aftermath of the attacks he would wake up screaming. He left school feeling ‘a failure’, and in adult life has drifted between a series of low-paid manual jobs. The man claims he told a community police officer in Rochdale about the rapes.

‘He took me to an interview room and we discussed the abuse for 35 or 40 minutes.

‘He said he would look into this for me, but I was not asked to give a statement.’

The father of four says that he separated from his children’s mother largely because memories of the rapes left him incapable of having a normal sexual relationship with her.

He continues to have ‘psychiatric issues’ and takes medication to try to curb thoughts of suicide.